Electric fuse



Jan. 13, 1925- 1,523,015

W. B. LA POINTE ELECTRIC FUSIE Filed OCT'. 2, 1922 A mvEN-ron WILLIAM B.LAPO| NTE AA; ATTYs.

Patented Jan. 13, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. LA POINTE, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO HERMAN E, VANCE, 0F

. COLUMBUS, OHIO.

ELECTRIC FUSE.

Application filed October 2, 1922.

T0 all lwhom t concern Be it known that I, IVILLIAM B. LA POINTE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented a cern tain new and useful Improvement in Electric Fuses, of which the following is a specilication.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved cartridge for fuse boxes and electric conductors the parts of which cartridge can be economically made and assembled, and in which tight and effective contacts of the fusing member are insured.

The invention is embodied in the example herein shown and described, the features of novelty being finally pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a central longitudinal sec tional view of the assembled parts according to my invention. y

Fig. 2 is an end view showing the cap.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the shell and wedge members with the cap removed.

In the views 5 designates the shell or case which is of hollow cylindrical form and of fibre or other insulating material. In each lend of the shell is secured stationarily by means of a screwv 6 a wedging member T preferably of metal having a flat wedging face inclined so as to provide an opening at the end o f the shell tapering inwardly toward the interior of that member. This wedging member 7 is shown as being of the form of a block of somewhat more than half a short cylinder. 8 designates the fusing member which consists of a short flat strip of fusible material of sufiicient length to extend between the wedging members, said fuse member having its ends bent and seated on both the flat wedging faces of those members. rlfhe characters 9 designate the movable wedging members also preferably of metal. These movable wedging members have flat faces corresponding in inclination to the flat faces of the wedging members 7 so that when shoved into the opening to the shell formed by the stationary wedging members the flat surfaces approach each other in parallel relation and finally clamp the end of the fuse strip between them. The wedging members 'r' and 9 for each end of the shell are con- Serial No. 591,777.

veniently made by cutting or sawing into two unequal parts a cylindrical bar of metal, brass, for example, in a plane inclined to the axis of the cylinder. The movable wedging member 9 is shown as tapped with a screw thread at 10 that can be engaged by a threaded or other implement for pulling out the we'dging member when it is desired to renew the fuse strip 8. The character 11 designates a cap, also preferably of metal, made to fit over the end of the shell, said cap being centrally perforated and countersunk for the insertion of a headed screw 12 engaging an axial threaded tap 13 in the outer end of the i'ixed we'dging member. Then the two wedging members in the end of the shell are made by close division of a cylinder as before suggested the outer end of the movable member is left slightly protruding beyond the end of the fixed wedging member when the movable member is inserted by modera-te preliminary pressure against the lapping end of the fuse strip, because of the thickness of the interposing fuse strip, hence when the screw 12 is turned up with suiiicient pressure, the movable wedging member is correspondingly pressed inward by the cap against the fusing strip causing a close` effective Contact of the fuse strip with the fixed we'dging member.

To replace a destroyed fuse with a fresh one the screws 12, caps and movable wedging members may be removed, the dbris shaken out and the new fuse inserted after which the parts 'are put together as indicated; or if necessary all the wedging members can be removed for this purpose.

The forms of the parts can be changed without departing from the gist of the invention as claimed.

IVhat I claim is- A fuse for electric conductors including, in combination, a shell, a fuse and a head for the shell comprised of two sectors of a cylinder having opposed inclined clamping faces, one o f which sectors is a fixed an'd the other a movable wedge, a cap and a screw in said cap to engage the fixed sector to force the other sector into position to close the end of the shell and clamp the fuse between the movable and fixed sectors.

WILLIAM B. LA POINTE. 

